The Touchwood Project

Two days only: the Reinvention Sewing Lounge at Orkney College Transform the clothing that’s sitting in the back of your closet, gathering dust, into stylish one-of-a-kind pieces. Join Kirsteen Stewart as she teaches you how to transform your wooly jumpers into this beautiful scarf: Or if you know how to sew and want to try a different project, we’ll have several charming project patterns you can work on… Read the rest of this article >>

It doesn’t look it yet, but below is the beginnings of the new Reinvention Sewing Lounge, one of our latest projects: Soon our tipi will be furnished with sheepskin rugs, a woodburning stove, and a cornucopia of fabrics and craft tools to transform the clothes you’ve got sitting in the back of your closet into hip bags, pillows and something new you’d love to wear. My favourite part: while… Read the rest of this article >>

My first experiment with dyeing and spinning has given me another opportunity to understand what it is to have enough. It’s thrown down the challenge: how do you enjoy life just as it is? It starts with a tapestry. The Coming Storm tapestry As I mentioned previously, I wanted to knit a tapestry based on a photograph I took of our view. It was my first time working with dyes, carding wool, and spinning. I… Read the rest of this article >>

“Spinning makes you think of little old ladies.” Malcolm and I are sitting in the conservatory waiting for the sun to dip below the clouds and treat us to a rare sunset over the water. For the past several months, the sun had hidden behind the peaks of our neighbouring island, Hoy, and only for the next few weeks would it set right on the horizon before wending its way north to hide again, this time behind… Read the rest of this article >>

As my Dad told me recently, I’m well on my way to the 14th century at the rate I’m going. Well nothing says medieval like spinning yarn, so today’s post is for the crafty types and wool lovers out there with whom I’d like to share my newest project: Orkney tweed yarns. Getting started with spinning When we moved to this house, our landlandy generously left behind her spinning wheel to use and it’s been… Read the rest of this article >>

I’m writing this post at my kitchen table in between bites of breakfast porridge because I’m so excited about how warm, comfortable and easy my latest MacGyvered project is, and I had to share it with you while I’m still riding high from all your fantastic comments in my last post. “Up from the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success,” says the fount of wisdom that is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I had cause to… Read the rest of this article >>

Storage basket made from recycled magazines: Hello there, Rachel asked me to do a guest post about this project, since it’s one she and I had worked on together before and that I recently took on all by myself. It probably would have been a good use of your Power-Off Weekend. Well, maybe next time. So! Let’s talk weaving. Time required: Uh… several hours. It took me an American football game (roughly… Read the rest of this article >>

Today, in the spirit of being frugal and eco-friendly, I am going to show you how to make your own lamp using only natural materials. This I believe to be one of the earliest of human inventions and in all honesty, it is superior to the man-made, metal equivalent. For one thing the parts are white and shiny, so reflect more light. For another there are many flutes thus allowing multiple wicks and thus… Read the rest of this article >>

It’s a weekend of crafting frenzy in our house this weekend. I’m knitting like mad, Malcolm’s making felt using a washing machine, and I’ve just finished making a big batch of chocolate peanut butter balls. The reason for the rush is I looked up the date you have to post all your gifts to the USA, and it’s December 10th — Thursday. To be honest, I’m not sure I can make it in time, but we’re giving it our… Read the rest of this article >>

Before I get into how to make this next Christmas gift project, I’ve been thinking about the mysterious joy that can come out of humble things. The tin can is something humble, and making this project is less about the object made, than about the experience of appreciating these small, everyday things…. Read the rest of this article >>